Red Flash Media Notes

BROOKLYN - The Saint Francis Red Flash moves on to the NEC Tournament semifinals to face top-seeded St. Francis Brooklyn on Saturday at 2 p.m. The game will be shown live on Fox College Sports, MSG and NEC Front Row.

The Flash moved into the semifinals for the second straight year after defeating Mount St. Mary's, 73-58, on Wednesday night. Greg Brown (Odenton, Md./Archbishop Spalding) scored a career-high 24 points in the win.

The Flash lost both regular season contests to the Terriers this season, including a buzzer beater defeat in Loretto, 60-59, on Jan. 18.

THREE THINGS TO KNOW

• Only one team (1999 - Mount St. Mary's) has won the NEC title as a "lower" seed in the past 30 years (No. 5 seed or lower).
• This is the Red Flash's first back-to-back appearance in the NEC Tournament semifinals.
• The Flash's plus-18 advantage in rebounding (37-19) against The Mount is the team's largest against a Div. I opponent this season.

TO THE SEMIFINALS

• The Red Flash embarks upon its fifth trip to the NEC Tournament semifinals in 2015. SFU is 1-3 in its previous four trips. Saint Francis advanced to the championship in 1991, winning that game to claim the NEC title as it moved to the NCAA Tournament. The Flash's semifinal appearances have been in 1983, 1989, 1991 and 2014.
• The Flash lost a thrilling game at Robert Morris last year in this round, 60-57. Earl Brown (Philadelphia, Pa./Imhotep Charter) led the team with 18 points while Ben Millaud-Meunier (Montreal, Quebec/Vanier) chipped in with 15.

BROWN'S NIGHT

• Last year, it was Ronnie Drinnon (Jamestown, Ohio/Greenview) who had a career night in the Red Flash's quarterfinal victory at Bryant. On Wednesday at The Mount, it was Greg Brown (Odenton, Md./Archbishop Spalding)'s turn to take over a quarterfinal game. Brown scored a career-best 24 points as the Flash handily defeated the Mountaineers, 73-58.
• Brown was also 11-for-13 from the free throw line. That included nine consecutive makes in a 59-second span in the final two minutes of the game. Brown, along with Earl Brown (Philadelphia, Pa./Imhotep Charter)'s 10-for-10 from the stripe, paced the Flash to an 80 percent night from the line (24-for-30).

FREE THROW SHOOTING EXCELLENCE

• The Flash had its second highest output from the free throw line, making 24 of its 30 shots. That is only second to the team's 26 makes at Sacred Heart on Jan. 10. The Flash sealed the deal by making 15 free throws in the second half, including 13 in a row in the final two minutes.
• The 80 percent mark matches the highest for the Flash this season when it attempts at least 20 free throws. SFU also shot 80 percent (20-for-25) in a loss at NJIT in late December.

PLAYOFF HISTORY VS. ST. FRANCIS BROOKLYN

• The Flash is 2-0 all-time against St. Francis Brooklyn in the NEC Tournament. The first meeting came in the semifinals of the 1991 tournament, a 96-70 SFU win. The Flash, of course, went on to win the whole thing that year. SFU also won a preliminary game against the Terriers in 1995, 95-76.

REBOUNDING ADVANTAGE

• The Flash dominated the boards against Mount St. Mary's. SFU carried a 37-19 advantage over the Mountaineers on the glass. The 19 rebounds for The Mount are not only the fewest rebounds allowed this season, they are also the fewest allowed by the Flash in the three seasons of Rob Krimmel's head coaching tenure.

STREAKING OVER THE MOUNT

• After snapping a nine-game losing streak to Mount St. Mary's in the penultimate regular season game last Thursday, the Flash turned right around and defeated the Mountaineers again. It's the first winning streak against The Mount since the Flash won five straight over the Mountaineers from 2002-05.

NEC TOURNAMENT NOTE

• The win over the Mount gives the Flash back-to-back seasons with an NEC Tournament win for the first time since the 1994 and 1995 postseasons. And after not having a postseason road victory since 1989, the Flash has done it in back-to-back seasons for the first time ever.

CAREER NUMBERS UPDATE

• Earl Brown (Philadelphia, Pa./Imhotep Charter) scored 23 points at The Mount on Wednesday and now has 1,345 career points, placing him 15th on the school's all-time scoring list. Brown is just one point shy of 14th place and Mike Iuzzolino (1989-91). Iuzzolino is the program's only NEC Tournament MVP.
• Brown's 772 career rebounds have him 12th on the school's all-time list. He is just 11 rebounds shy of tying Saint Francis legend Norm Van Lier for 11th place (1966-69).